Cynthia Lazard, Mba, Afsp Email and Phone Number

Perform daily remote financial/accounting duties and other responsibilities of the Accounting Department – recent accounting software used in TeamWorks/QuickBooks/Financial Edge.

In my current role, I deliver a full suite of accounting and business consultation services to a diverse set of clients. I oversee financial functions including month-end closing, financial statement analysis, annual audits, and tax preparation. Throughout my work, I foster a strong client service culture and deliver exceptional service to the firm's clients.My accomplishments in this position include:■ Growing the tax return service by 25 percent.■ Maximizing tax deductions and credits to reduce the tax obligations of small business and individual clients.

Perform Daily onsite financial/accounting duties related to the preparation, review, and analysis of financial statements, budgets, and other responsibilities of the Accounting Department. The duties or though not limited are:- Perform month-end journal entries for assigned GL accounts- Assist in the development of financial statements and reports- Review and explain variance to budget and to previous reporting periods- Prepare monthly account reconciliations- Research and reconcile discrepancies- Assist in the annual capital and operating budgeting process- Administer biweekly payroll- Perform financial and/or statistical analysis monthly or quarterly- Assist with the annual audit of the organization's financial statements- Complete various special projects- Collaborate with operation personnel to support achievement of financial goals

I analyzed results; monitoring variances; identifying trends, as well as, reconciled transactions by comparing and correcting data. I prepared foreign entity accounting journals for prepaid expenses, leases, accruals, and other areas; prepare monthly journal entries for institutional client revenue (billing and accruals), and prepared monthly reconciliations. I also generated an analysis of revenue accounts and other operating expenses. I assisted with audit and other regulatory and compliance activities as directed including annual group audit and UK GAAP audit; as well as, with special projects including onboard of new clients onto revenue system, testing new reports in general ledger system and new functionality setup/testing in the ledger system, and with Travel & Expenses data analysis as requested.

I oversaw financial operations for a $3.5M nonprofit outreach ministry program. I analyzed financial trends and conducted comprehensive variance analysis to identify root cause of significant revenue variances. To help with business decision making, I monitored budgets and provided financial reporting to the senior leadership and board of directors. I led accounting processes including accounts payable, accounts receivable, monthly closing, internal controls, and financial audit. I also managed financial reporting for capital assets and coordinated the payroll and new hire process for 45 employees.My accomplishments in this position included:■ Reducing the cost of external auditors by $35K while achieving 100% internal audit compliance with strict adherence to standards and processes.■ Revamping the payroll process to reduce the error rate from 5% to .024% and implementing a dedicated email payroll address to streamline employee questions related to payroll issues■ Delivering detailed financial reporting and strategic planning to enhance decision making that resulted in improved cash flow and facility expansion.■ Implementing new processes that streamlined the finance department’s workflow, resulting in a reduction in the turnaround of key functions from one week to one day.■ Reducing the turnaround of monthly financial reports from 30 days to 10 days.■ Achieved a 35% reduction in write-offs through improved reconciliation processes.■ Streamlined accounts payable system with 997 vendors to reduce search time by 98%.

In this position, I led an accounting team in the execution of accounting processes for a network of public charter schools. I analyzed payroll and benefit accounts to identify opportunities to streamline processes. I also oversaw intercompany accounts and provided detailed variance reports and managed general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, monthly reconciliations, and monthly, quarterly and annual closings.My accomplishments in this position included: ■ Leading a process improvement initiative that resulted in a six-day (32%) reduction in the month-end closing process and implementing an electronic shared month-end checklist to increase consistency across the organization.■ Slashing overtime costs $12K with the reduction of month-end closing from 15 to 7 days.■ Reducing AP processing time from a 14-day to a seven-day payment turnaround.

I performed accounting and payroll services for a physician services company with annual revenue of more than $50M. I processed payroll and administered benefits for more than 450 full-time physicians and administrators in multiple states and conducted month-end closing and reconciled accrual balances.My accomplishments in this position included:■ Increasing physician and hospital staff satisfaction by 80% through the prompt resolution of time and pay rate discrepancies before the submission of payroll.